Analysis method of the angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitory activity based on micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

A micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) method was developed for estimating the angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity by separating the hippuric acid liberated in the ACE reaction mixture in the presence of an inhibitor, captopril. The hippuric acid was successfully separated and detected by MEKC with a 25 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate solution in a 25 mM phosphate-50 mM borate buffer at pH 7.0; the total analysis took about 5 min. A good linear relationship was observed between the inhibitor and the peak area of hippuric acid release. No significant difference in the ACE inhibitory activity (IC50) of captopril (an antihypertensive medicine) or autolyzed-mushrooms (functional foods) was observed between the conventional method and the MEKC method. The MEKC method was found to be a useful technique for a rapid assay of the ACE inhibitory activity.     

Assessing the Error Probability of the Model Selection Test

The asymptotic error probability of Linhart's model selection test isevaluated, and compared with the nominal significance level. We examine thecase where the expected discrepancies of the candidate models from the truemodel are asymptotically equal. The local alternatives method is employed inthe limiting operation of the asymptotic evaluation. Although the errorprobability under the null hypothesis is actually shown to be equal to orless than the level for most situations, intolerable violations of the errorcontrol are observed for nested models: It is often erroneously concludedthat the smaller model is significantly better than the larger model. Toprevent this violation, a modification of Linhart's test statistic isproposed. The effectiveness of the proposed test is confirmed throughtheoretical analysis and numerical simulations.     

Depth profile analysis of polyimide film treated by potassium hydroxide

The structural change in the depth direction of a polyimide (UPILEX‐S) film treated in alkaline solution, which was a representative surface treatment used to form a seed layer for plating and to improve the adhesive strength, was analyzed by means of micro Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection (FTIR‐ATR) line analysis with gradient shaving preparation. The polyimide film was treated with KOH. The imide ring opened through the alkaline treatment, and the amide structure and carboxylic acid salt were formed. The attainment depth of this structural change was almost proportional to the treatment time, and it reached about 8 μm after a 30‐min treatment. The degree of structural change through the alkaline treatment was almost constant after it reached a considerably degraded stage, and the chemically changed region penetrated into the inner part of the film from the surface. An intermediate layer before the final degraded stage appeared in the treated layer, and its thickness increased with the treatment time. The region that was changed chemically by the alkaline treatment progressed to the inner part simultaneously and continuously as the treatment time increased. The combined use of gradient shaving preparation and micro FTIR‐ATR line analysis was found to be extremely effective for the depth profiling of organic materials. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 2071–2078, 2003     

A characterization of certain irreducible symplectic 4-folds

 We give a characterization of irreducible symplectic fourfolds which are given as Hilbert scheme of points on a K3 surface. Received: 26 June 2002 / Revised version: 9 September 2002 Published online: 14 February 2003 Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): Primary 14J32, Secondary 32Q20     

Synthesis of self‐photosensitizing polyesters containing donor–acceptor norbornadiene moieties and benzophenone groups and their photochemical reactions

The ring‐opening copolymerization of a glycidyl ester derivative having a benzophenone group and the donor–acceptor norbornadiene (D‐A NBD) dicarboxylic acid, 5‐(4‐methoxyphenyl)‐1,4,6,7,7‐pentamethyl‐2,5‐norbornadiene‐2,3‐dicarboxylic acid, monoglycidyl ester derivatives with D‐A NBD dicarboxylic anhydride using tetraphenylphosphonium bromide as a catalyst proceeded smoothly to give novel self‐photosensitizing NBD polymers in good yields. The molecular weight of these polyesters was about 4,000, and lower than that of analogous NBD polymers having no benzophenone group. All the synthesized NBD polymers isomerized smoothly to the corresponding quadricyclane (QC) polymers upon UV irradiation in tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution and in the film state. The rate of the photoisomerization of the D‐A NBD moieties in these polymers was higher than that of the D‐A NBD moieties in the polymer having no photosensitizing group. Furthermore, the rate of the photoisomerization of the D‐A NBD moieties in these polymers was also higher than that of the NBD polymer with low molecular weight photosensitizer in dilute solution. The photo‐irradiated polymers having QC moieties released thermal energies of 146–180 J/g. The D‐A NBD moieties contained in these NBD polymers possessed fair to good fatigue resistance. The degradation of the NBD moieties in these polymers was 15–30% after 50 repeated cycles of interconversion. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2978–2988, 2007     

Time-resolved cavity ringdown spectroscopy on nanoparticle generation in a SiH4–H2 VHF plasma

Time-resolved cavity ringdown (τ-CRD) spectroscopy has been applied to monitor the silyl (SiH₃) radicals and nanoparticles in a pulsed very high frequency (VHF) silane-hydrogen plasma under microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) deposition conditions. The measured cavity loss reveals four time intervals (I up to VI) in the first 4 s of the plasma pulse. By variation of the laser wavelength, it is demonstrated that the small cavity loss at 220 nm reflects the SiH₃ absorption in interval I. In intervals II and III, an additional cavity loss appears. This additional cavity loss corresponds to Rayleigh and Mie scattering by growing nanoparticles. Interval IV reflects the loss of nanoparticles between the electrodes during the afterglow of the plasma pulse. The evolution of the nanoparticle generation determined from the τ-CRD measurements are further confirmed by additional scanning electron microscopy analyses on the nanoparticles created in the plasma pulse.     

Chemically modified proton‐conducting membranes based on sulfonated polyimides: Improved water stability and fuel‐cell performance

A series of branched/crosslinked sulfonated polyimide (B/C‐SPI) membranes were prepared and evaluated as proton‐conducting ionomers based on the new concept of in situ crosslinking from sulfonated polyimide (SPI) oligomers and triamine monomers. Chemical branching and crosslinking in SPI oligomers with 1,3,5‐tris(4‐aminophenoxy)benzene as a crosslinker gave the polymer membranes very good water stability and mechanical properties under an accelerated aging treatment in water at 130 °C, despite their high ion‐exchange capacity (2.2–2.6 mequiv g^?1). The resulting polymer electrolytes displayed high proton conductivities of 0.2–0.3 S cm^?1 at 120 °C in water and reasonably high conductivities of 0.02–0.03 S cm^?1 at 50% relative humidity. In a single H₂/O₂ fuel‐cell system at 90 °C, they exhibited high fuel‐cell performances comparable to those of Nafion 112. The B/C‐SPI membranes also displayed good performances in a direct methanol fuel cell with methanol concentrations as high as 50 wt % that were superior to those of Nafion 112. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3751–3762, 2006     

Synthesis and antitumor activities of mitomycin C (1----3)-beta-D-glucan conjugate.

The conjugate of mitomycin C (MMC) with linear (1----3)-beta-D-glucan from Alcaligenes faecalis var. myxogenes IFO 13140 was synthesized and its antitumor activities investigated. The conjugate (MMC-carboxymethylated linear (1----3)-beta-D-glucan (CMPS)) was obtained by treatment of CMPS with MMC in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide. In vitro cytotoxicity of MMC-CMPS against L1210 leukemia cells was similar to that of MMC. In i.p.-i.p. system in vivo against P388 leukemia in mice, the maximum increase of MMC-CMPS conjugate in life span (ILSmax) was higher than that of MMC but the therapeutic index was reduced. However, the antitumor activity of MMC-CMPS conjugate against subcutaneously implanted sarcoma 180 solid tumor in mice by i.p. administration was similar to that of MMC at a dose of 1.5 mg eq MMC/kg/d x 7 and the reduction of the number of leukocytes caused by MMC was suppressed by attaching MMC to CMPS. In addition, on assay using serum of sarcoma 180 solid tumor-bearing mice with injection of MMC-CMPS conjugate, a drastic loss of tumor cells and an increase in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) were observed. This result suggested that MMC-CMPS conjugate induced tumor-regressing factor similar to CMPS.     

Evaluation of cyclodextrin polymer as a disintegrating agent

Cyclodextrin polymer was compared to other well known disintegrants concerning the swelling properties /water uptake, moisture uptake, hydration capacity, sedimentation volume in water/. Its high disintegrating effect was proved in directly compressed tablets as well as in tablets made by wet granulation. A remarkable improvement in tablet properties was observed. Not only the disintegration of tablets and the dissolution of the drug was accelerated but also the hardness increased when CDP was used as disintegrant.     

Percutaneous absorption of ketoprofen from acrylic gel patches containing d-limonene and ethanol as absorption enhancers.

The percutaneous absorption of ketoprofen (KPF) from gel patches containing d-limonene and ethanol was investigated in rats. Plasma levels of KPF varied with the kind of polymers which constitute the gel patch, and the highest level was observed when the copolymer of ethylacrylate (EA) and diethyleneglycolmethacrylate (DEGMA) was used as a vehicle. The amount of KPF permeating through the rat skin from the gel patch was well correlated with that of ethanol. Permeations were enhanced with increase in the amount of d-limonene distributed from the vehicle to the skin tissue. The amount of d-limonene accumulated in the skin varied greatly with the kind of polymers; the highest accumulation was observed with the EA-DEGMA copolymer, and decreased with increasing affinity of d-limonene to the polymers. The reason EA-DEGMA copolymer showed the highest percutaneous absorption of KPF from gel patches containing d-limonene may be the hydrophilic nature of this polymer which showed the lowest affinity to d-limonene.